Heel for boots or shoes



June 12, 1945. H, c, NlMRlcK 2,378,028

HEEL FOR BOOTS OR SHOES Filed July 16, .1945

Patented June 12, 1945 HEEL ronronrson. snnns' 1 Harold c. mmricmin troitfivuclt f e .Applica-tiontJulylB, 194a;sauna-assert i win-5st Claims;

invention relates to for boots... or

shoescithe object being-toprovide the replaceable insert of rubber like character introducible :into.

a'recess-provided: therefor in; the. heel to prevent wear aha side'or endxthereot.

Boot. andishoe heels wlretherformed= or leather or rubber becomeworn usually on the'outer rear side of theheei and a feature of my invention is toprovide a replaceable .insert of rubber or other flexible material; introduci'ble in a recess or in recesses provided'in the shoe heel at the rear or rear side to locked relation therein and havingaitli'ln-ifl'snge ov rlying. the heel surface about My improved insert may be used with heel elements formed of leather, rubber or othersuitable material and in the form of the insert for use in conjunction with a rubber heel I'provide the heel element l with a number of recesses preferably three, as shown at 2 in Fig. 3.

In the forming of. the rubber heel I I preferably, but not necessarily, provide a metal plate 3 having a central aperture of approximately the same diameter as the body ofthe insert'at a distance from the inner end of the recess. The

recess at its inner end is somewhat larger in diameter than the body of the opening indicated at 2 and the insert has an inner end 50f greater diameter than the body and forming aflange providing a shoulder 8 which engages the inner surface of the plate. This flange normally prevents accidental removal of the insert in ordinary conditions of use. The insert further has a flange I of desired thickness overlying the lower surface of the heel and serves to not only provide a cushioning effect in the use of the boot or shoe by the wearer but also prevents wear of that por-' tion of the heel surface having the inserts.

The inserthas a centrallongitudinal recess 8 open throughthe outer wearing face of the insert and the purpose of suchrecess is .to provide a collapsible body to permitthe shoulder portions 6 to turn inwardly toward the center as the insert is being introduced into the to final position" in the heel and, as theflangeportion '6" is inserted tofinal' position. the shoulder portion expands into the'recessi'beneath the plate and serves'to prevent accidental removal of the insert in-the normal use-of theboot or'sh'oe; I

, In Fig. "i' rhave shown a heel portion 9 formed of leather and having a recess provided with an enlarged portion M at itsbottom into which the rim H- of theinsert engages when'in final position therein; The insert shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are similarin construction and each involve the central recess: to provide a collapsible body per mittmg the rim orfiange H to turn inwardly as it is passed into the heel recess. The metalplate shown at (8 in Fig. 3 may be used with a leather heel shown in Fig. 4 but preferably is not so used as the leather itself is suiiiciently rigid to provide a shoulder preventing withdrawal of the insert in the normal use of the heel.

The recess 8 is of utility in introduction of the rubber insert into the heel recess in that it not only permits the flanged end portion of the insert to turn inwardlyas it is passed into the heel recess but also enables the use of any element such as a match stick of less cross sectional area than that of the recess whereby pressure may be exerted upon the inner end of the insert to insure'the forcing of the said end to proper position therein. Without such provision of the recess 8 it would be difficult to force the inner end of the recess to final position by reason of the fact that the rubber is compressible and the inner flange being of larger diameter than the body of the heel recess it might not be forced to final position by pressure applied to the outer end.

Itis believed evident from the foregoing de-.

scription that the heel element may be sold with the inserts therein and as the inserts become worn new inserts may be introduced thereinto and it is therefore contemplated to provide forsale of the heel element and inserts or of the inserts alone as replacements for worn inserts.

The inserts are quite inexpensiveand thus by replacement of worn inserts the heels may be used indefinitely by replacing the worn inserts as the heel itself does not require to be replaced. Here tofore the entire heel element required to be replaced after becoming worn'whether the heel element be formed of rubber, leather or other character of material.

In either case the rubber inserts not only serve to prevent wear of the heel but also provide a shock absorbing means beneficial tothe wearer, and ifthe heel element be made of leather the rubber insert not only reduces the shock but prevents slipping when walking on hard surfaces.

It is believed evident from the foregoing description and the drawing that the various features and objects of the invention are attained by the structure described and shown and that various changes may be made in the structure and relationship of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A boot or shoe heel comprising a heel ment having cylindrical recesses thereinopening' through the tread surface thereof and having at its inner end an enlarged portion providing, a shoulder adjacent the bottom of the recess,=a-met a1 plate having an aperture of the same diameter as that of the recess and overlying the said shoulder, an-insert of flexiblegsmaterial having a body approximately of the same cross sectional area as that of the recess and an inner end portion having an outwardly inclined side wall providing a flange of greater peripheral dimension than the body to engage the portion of the metal plate opposite the surface thereof engaging the shoulder of the recess providing a means normally preventing withdrawal of the insert in its normal use, said body further having a thin flange 9 providing in association with the body a flat resilient disc overlying the outer surface of the heel.

2. A boot or shoe heel comprising a heel element having recesses therein opening through the ele flange portion of the insert may be compressed inwardly and when seated in the heel recess may expand into the enlarged end of the recess.

3. A boot or shoe heel comprising a heel ele ment having a cylindrical recess opening through the wear surface" thereof, said recess having an enlarged portion at its inner end within the heel body, said insert being formed of a flexible material having a cylindrical body-and a terminal portion at one end'of circular form-of greater-di ameter than the body and having the form of a truncated cone, said body having a recess extending inwardly from the-outer end of the body and terminating approximately a-distance-from the flanged end practically equal to the thickness thereof, and the outer-end having an'enlarg ed comparatively thin flange overlying the wear-surface of the heel and further having anaxial recess opening through the outer face thereof.

-HAR;OLD c. NiMnIc-K; 

